B1G Power Rankings 2/9

Check out Andrew and I explaining these Power Rankings on the podcast here.

1) Purdue

Last week: 1

Still number one despite the loss in Bloomington. With a three-game lead or more over everyone in the conference, Purdue would claim the B1G by winning 4 of its final 7 games.

2) Indiana

Last week: 2

Indiana’s talent is finally clicking, and Assembly Hall is returning to form (it feels gross saying that). After beating the 2 teams atop the Big Ten standings, IU has solidified its spot at #2. We’ll see if they can continue that success away from home.

3) Iowa

Last week: 7

Here come the Hawkeyes who took down Northwestern and Illinois last week at home. Like Indiana, we’ll see how Iowa does on the road, which is always more brutal.

4) Rutgers

Last week: 5

Getting beaten by Indiana on the road is not the end of the world for the Scarlet Knights, who still sit in a tie for second in the Big Ten standings. They have a chance to bounce back against Illinois in Champaign and Nebraska at home this week.

5) Illinois

Last week: 3

Illinois split last week, taking down the Cornhuskers at home and narrowly falling to Iowa at home. Another wave of COVID forced their matchup with Minnesota to be postponed so they will get some quick turnaround going forward. Their next 3 games are a challenge when they take on Rutgers, then go to Penn State and Indiana.

6) Michigan

Last week: 10

A 2-0 week last week and the Wolverines are currently up big on Nebraska in the second half. Michigan will need to continue to win to improve their resume and their seed line come BTT and tournament time.

7) Northwestern

Last week: 4

The Wildcats had a tougher week this time, losing to Iowa and Michigan before beating Wisconsin on the road. The quick schedule has the Wildcats looking a little flat in their games, and the schedule won’t get much easier. NW still has to take on Purdue, IU, and Iowa as well as Illinois, Maryland, and Rutgers on the road.

8) Michigan State

Last week: 6

Michigan State didn’t play particularly bad last week, losing at Rutgers and beating Maryland at home. The Spartans are just a mid-tier team in the Big Ten this year.

9) Maryland

Last week: 8

If you asked me to put home Maryland and road Maryland in these rankings, home Maryland may be top 3 while road Maryland may be bottom 3. That inconsistency allows for signature wins like beating Indiana at home but also can cause issues, considering Maryland’s only road victory in conference was against Minnesota.

10) Wisconsin

Last week: 12

I’m not sure what to make of the Badgers. Their leading scorer is Chucky Hepburn, who scores just under 13 ppg and the Badgers still haven’t scored more than 65 in a game in over a month. (UPDATE: Wisconsin scored 79 in a win at Penn State after recording the podcast)

11) Penn State

Last week: 9

Rough week for Penn State who lost at Purdue and Nebraska. The Nittany Lions have lost 6 of 9 and have tumbled out of the tournament picture. It’s an uphill battle for Micah Shrewsberry and company. (UPDATE: They have lost 7 of their last 10)

12) Nebraska

Last week: 13

Although Nebraska beat Penn State, the Huskers still have way too many injuries and it’s another lost season for Fred Hoiberg. Keisei Tominaga is a fun player to watch at least.

13) Ohio State

Last week: 11

What the hell happened to this team? The Buckeyes have lost 9 of its last 10 games, including loses to Wisconsin, Nebraska, and Minnesota. I seriously wanted to put aOSU at 14 but they are at least keeping games to within 10 usually.

14) Minnesota

Last week: 14

I’m not going to beat a dead horse. It’s almost the beginning of spring (I say hopefully) and the Gophers can focus on baseball and football.